If you took a straw poll from most members of the New York Jets fan base, most would prefer avoiding Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson early in the 2026 NFL draft.

In just 15 college starts, Simpson led the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff, but struggled down the stretch with just a 57% completion percentage in his final five games.

Despite the struggles, Simpson is considered the second-best quarterback of this April’s draft class. In most (but not all) mock drafts, the 23-year-old is considered a lock for the first-round.

“He was a very odd guy to watch because some of the throws he made were really good,” NFL analyst Greg Cosell said of Simpson. “…but then, as the season progressed, I thought he played really fast at times, and the precise ball location faded.”

Simpson has completed his Pro Day at Alabama and has a meeting scheduled with the Jets on Friday. It was at his workout, though, that the young signal-caller had a message for teams like the Jets in need of a quarterback, but are on the fence about drafting him.

Simpson’s confident message

Most NFL draft prospects are using pro days — thanks to their controlled-environment nature — more as a differentiator than the NFL Scouting Combine. In Simpson’s case, his Pro Day workout featured him throwing to players he was familiar with.

After his workout, Simpson had a message for quarterback-needy teams considering taking him in the draft: Don’t overthink it.

“I’m tough, I’m resilient, I love football, and I want to make other people better,” per the AP’s Kennington Smith III. “When I come into a program, I’m a program changer. I just don’t make myself better — I make other people better. So, if you draft me and you want me to be your franchise quarterback, I’m not just coming in to look after myself. I’m looking after the whole team and making sure that I leave it better than where I [found it].”

A program changer. Making other players better.

The Jets have been searching for a quarterback like that for decades.

But is Simpson truly that kind of player?

Ty Simpson draft profile

The knock on Simpson is similar to the one on Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. When pressure gets to them, both quarterbacks tend to panic and get themselves into trouble because of that.

Simpson’s pocket presence is a bit better than Mendoza’s. His accuracy is solid, and he looks like a solid developmental quarterback.

There’s a reason why Mendoza is expected to go first overall, though. His anticipation is better than Simpson’s, and his big-game clutchness is something that isn’t quantified on a stat sheet. More importantly, though, Mendoza started over 30 games in his college career.

Simpson only has half.

Experience matters in the college ranks for NFL teams. Because of his lack of reps, most league executives believe that it’s important for a young player to sit behind a veteran to begin their careers. The Alabama prospect will most likely need it more than any other prospect coming out.

If you ask him, though, that isn’t a bad thing.

And it doesn’t take away what he can bring to an organization like the Jets.